Arranged Marriage (day 11 early afternoon, Baatar's yurt)

[Asako Yuki]

Yuki's face grew still. "You may have known him your entire life, Moto-san. But clearly I have gotten to know him better in these few days than you ever will. Whatever happened before that day was before, and I cannot hold him accountable for sleeping with others when we ourselves had made no commitments to one another." Yuki, not being a Unicorn, didn't see what the big deal with sleeping with a member of one's Family was, as most were so distant as to cause little issues.

Yuki winced visibly when Baatar mentioned Butaj sleeping with Hotaru, the image also entering her mind and she had to swallow down a scream. "Butaj may have his faults. But he has never lied to me. He is a man with a loose sense of what love is, and who he loves. But he loves me most of all. I will never waver from that belief. I do not care if you trust in that or not." She practically spat those last words out.

Yuki's eyes softened slightly, though her gaze never left Baatar's face. "Cruelty was already dealt to us by Fate and our own poor decisions, Moto-san. Of all this you are probably the least to blame, and I have little against you personally. I simply wish to see that the smallest amount of cruelty is dealt out. Do you believe you can accept that I will always love Butaj, and that he will love me?"

[Moto Baatar]

Baatar's face was ashen.

"So is this the kind of wife you intend to be?" he heard himself asking. "Throwing your 'love' for another man in my face, again and again? Why did you even bother to choose me?"

[Asako Yuki]

"You know why I chose you, there were precious few options left by the time my choice came up. I am beginning to see why." There was venom in her voice now. It's not like she had wanted this. It's not like any of this was supposed to happen. She was trying to make this work as best she could.

"I intend to be true to myself, and I intended to be honest with you at where we would be starting from."

[Moto Baatar]

"Suppose I could ignore that you have feelings for another," Baatar said carefully. His shoulders were tense, and he watched her cautiously, as one might watch a viper. "Could you not speak of these feelings in public, or in my presence? Could you be a proper wife, and not shame our family in front of others?"

[Asako Yuki]

"And why should I believe that you could ignore my feelings? You've already made abundantly clear that your distaste for Butaj has festered long before I ever spoke his name. How can I trust you wouldn't burn his letters, smash his gifts, refuse me any peace to be with him, even if I were to do it properly?" Yuki shot back. Too incensed at the first to even realize the intense insult of the second.

[Moto Baatar]

"You choose a husband in the morning, and in the afternoon you speak of meeting a lover?" Baatar was incredulous. White hot anger shot through him. "Is this what you think is 'proper'?!"

He saw now exactly what kind of woman Yuki was.

"Get out," he snarled through gritted teeth. He pointed toward the tent flap.

"GET OUT."

[Asako Yuki]

Yuki snarled back at him. "Gladly."

Yuki wasted no time in getting to her feet again. She did not bow to Baatar before leaving, nor make any sign of contrition. She went through the flap and let gravity close it for her as she fled.

/exit